Benfica look to have found Rafa replacement

Welcome to Benfica. Orkun Kokcu, the Turkish attacking midfielder seems to have finally found his place with the club after a handful of sparkling performances in the attacking midfielder role. A position that Kokcu seems most comfortable playing and a position that earned him the Eredivisie Player of the Year during the 2022-23 season.

Benfica manager Roger Schmidt tried to see what kind of versatility he could get from the 23 year-old during the season by playing him in a variety of positions, but other than a decent performance here and there, it was a continuous failed experiment. 

It looks to have taken a Kokcu interview with a Dutch media outlet in March to change the mind of the German manager, an interview in which Kokcu stated his lack of playing time in his preferred attacking position had a lot to do with a string of poor performances this season. 

With current XI starter Rafa Silva set to become a free agent at the end of the season, Benfica is finally getting what they paid for when they acquired Kokcu during the summer for a club record fee of €25M and they have hopefully found the heir apparent to Rafa going forward.

Heat turning up on Roger Schmidt as season winds down

The heat has turned up on Roger Schmidt's future at Benfica after a disappointing season that saw the club capture only the Super Cup to kick off the club's 2023-24 campaign. On too many nights, the club lacked creativity and saw too many poor performances from a squad that, on paper, was the best in Portugal, but Schmidt's tactics and lack of utilization of players contributed to the club's downfall.

Benfica's SAD is now in the process of holding meetings to discuss whether Schmidt is the right man to lead the squad into the 2024-25 season. According to reports out of Portugal, the sacking of Schmidt and his staff would prove to be costly to the club, with the figure said to be €22M over the next two seasons. 

Benfica President Rui Costa now faces the most difficult decision of his term: keep or dismiss Schmidt. The majority of Benfica supporters are against the German continuing as the bench boss of the club. The way Schmidt has lost games, more so than the results of those games themselves, is what has irked supporters to the point of wanting the coach gone.

If Rui Costa goes against the grain and continues with Schmidt, he will then become the main target of supporters, a decision that could prove costly to his future as the President of the club. Benfica fans will look to get Costa's attention tomorrow with a planned protest on the ouster of Schmidt and hope that the President has all eyes on them.

Benfica's Schjelderup excited to return to club after loan

Benfica's 19 year old winger Andreas Schjelderup has spent the season on loan with his former Danish club Nordsjaelland and has been in fine form during the season. Schjelderup has scored seven goals while providing ten assists across 32 competitive games.

Schjelderup recently spoke to Danish radio about his excitement about returning to Benfica in the summer and being prepared to fight for a place with the club next season.

The loan at his former club looks to have brought back the confidence that the youngster seemed to lose after not getting into much game action after arriving at the club during the winter transfer window last year for €9M.

Benfica are happy with the strides that Schjelderup has made this season and hope that this translates onto the field with the club next season.